A record was broken on April 13. The Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA) held its annual Chr. Hansen Championship Cheese Auction at the CheeseExpo event, ultimately raising $333,125 to support industry education and scholarship programs, the World and U.S. Championship Cheese Contests, and university dairy training centers.
“This year’s record-breaking Auction reflects the generosity and forward thinking of the dairy processing industry,” said Executive Director John Umhoefer. “We’re grateful to this year’s bidders and honored to provide opportunities for the growth and advancement of the industry’s most valuable asset: its people.”
Beginning in 1997, Auction dollars have supported WCMA’s Mike Dean and Cheese Industry Supplier Student Scholarships; helped fund popular WCMA training workshops; and fueled donations to infrastructure projects at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Wisconsin-River Falls, and South Dakota State University. Altogether, WCMA has invested $1.3 million in the next generation of the dairy processing industry, a press release explained.
This year’s Auction featured a total of 86 gold medal cheeses from the 2022 World Championship Cheese Contest, which were organized into 41 lots. The association offers its thanks to all of the winning bidders for their support.
What other records are set to be broken in the cheese industry? Deli Market News will report.
